Once Upon a Christmas
by everythingisok
Summary: * One shot (for now)* It's Christmas...the loneliest time for Christian. He gives everyone a break, including Taylor, and spends the holidays alone, not wanting to burden anyone. After all, he's enough of a Grinch by himself. Will he be able to love someone this Christmas? Set some time after the first book. Warning: Briefly mentions BDSM. It's HEA as always. Merry Christmas ;)
1. Chapter 1

**Once upon a Christmas.**

It's December 18th, exactly a week before Christmas, and Christian glances out the 25th penthouse window with detached interest. Below him, glowing lights line the streets of Seattle, and the smell of pumpkin pie latte wafts through the air. Christian continues to watch as pedestrians bump into one another, mumbling apologies and wishing one another a merry Christmas.

 _What was the point of Christmas anyways?_ Christian mused to himself. _It's only a time for families to gather around and argue about useless politics._

With a sigh, Christian turns back to work, scanning over the annual report of GEH. As always, its numbers are stellar.

Just as Christian's going through the report one last time, a light knock taps his door.

Suspecting who it is, Christian's face breaks out into a beautiful smile. "Come in." he calls.

Shy, blue eyes peer behind the heavy oak door, and Christian's smile widens.

"Come here, sweetheart." Christian gently urges, the smile never leaving his face. Ana hesitates a bit before walking towards him and kneeling, her back straight, legs spread, and head bowed.

A frown tugs on Christian's lips as he observes Ana in this fragile state. _Was this all of his doing?_

"Sweetheart, you don't have to kneel. We're not in a scene." He softly reminds her before lifting her up and sitting her on his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her so she's cradled to his body.

Ana's dressed in nothing but his white, discarded t-shirt and yoga pants. She keeps her eyes down, still trying to gauge his mood. Christian can be moody, one minute he can be the most kind, compassionate, and gentle human being there is, but the next he can become the sadistic, coldhearted dominant.

A finger comes and tips Ana's chin up so she's forced to look at the man with the breathtaking grey eyes.

"Hey, you don't have to hide from me." Christian says, stroking her cheek, and Ana snuggles closer to him, humming a response. She hears his deep chuckle. "Sssh, it's ok. Do you want to go to bed?" He asks.

Ana nods, letting Christian gather her in his arms and laying her on his bed before crawling besides her, the mattress dipping due to their weight.

They're both just staring at each other, and Christian has his arms tucked around Ana. For a minute, everything's peaceful.

"What is it?" Christian finally asks, sweeping Ana's messy fringe behind her ear. He has sensed that Ana needed to say something since she stepped into his office but hoped that she felt comfortable enough to say it without him coaxing her.

Ana blushes, taking a deep breath and mentally preparing herself for his anger. "Sir…" She says, peeking up at him.

Christian tries to smile but it doesn't reach his eyes. Usually, he's turned on by the name, but with Ana, _sir_ seemed so wrong.

"I…I…" Ana stutters, the words struggling to come out of her mouth. If she was honest, she was afraid.

Ana didn't know why she was afraid. Because even though she was his submissive, Christian has always been very gentle with her. The punishments were more for pleasure than pain, and he lets her sleep in his bed. She really didn't have a reason to be scared. And even with the belt, he stopped immediately when she safe worded, scooping her up and rocking her, just like he said he would. But still, Ana was scared.

"Ssssh, baby. I won't be mad at whatever you say, ok? Just breath." Christian says, rubbing his hand over the small of her back in that comforting way.

Internally, Christian was still beating himself up for the belt. How could he be so careless? He needed to be more remindful of how new Ana is to the world of BDSM. No matter what, he shouldn't have belted her. No, the belt was much too severe for his fragile Ana. Christian didn't like to punish Ana. Her smile was way too pretty to be crumbled up into tears.

Christian lightly shakes his head. He was going soft. What happened to the Dom? What happened to the man who he prized himself for being in total control?

"I…I…was wondering." Ana's voice breaks him of his thoughts, and he smiles down at her, continuing to rub her back.

"Next week…is Christmas, and I was wondering…would it be ok for me…to go see my family. I know the contract says I am supposed to report here every weekend, but Christmas is on a Sunday, and my Dad wants me to spend the holidays with him. Please, he doesn't have any other family." She adds the last part quietly.

Christian closes his eyes, regret and possibly something more sweeping across his features.

 _Is that all she wanted? Is that what she thought of him, that he wouldn't let her go home for fucking Christmas?_

"Ana, sweetie, of course you can go home and see your Dad. Where does he live? I'll take you." He offers.

It not until now that Ana risks the courage to peek up, finding her favorite pair of grey eyes twinkling down at her.

"Uh…He lives in downtown Seattle, but really sir, it's no bother. I can go by myself." She says, fidgeting with her sleeves, a nervous habit.

Christian sighs. Secretly, he was hurt. He at least hoped to spend a small part of Christmas together, not for fucking or anything, but simply because he wanted to hold her.

Christian tries not to let the thought bother him as he tries a different approach.

"Wow, it's almost Christmas, huh?" He asks, his heart leaping when his question earns him a small giggle.

Suddenly, Christian rolls over on his bead, reaching into his night stand and pulling out a green, velvet box. He rolls back, flopping over, and Ana eyes him with curious blues.

"Well, since it's almost Christmas, you can have your present now." Christian says, shoving the box in Ana's hands before she can protest, his own fingers fumbling a bit.

The green velvet box has been sitting on his bedside table for quite a while now. He saw it in a store one day, and without even examining the long, silver earrings, knew it belonged to Ana.

Christian never got his submissive Christmas presents since he bought them stuff all the time, and Christmas for him was just another day. But with Ana, it was so much more.

Ana gasps as she opens the box. In it were two long, silver earrings that sparkled among the pale moon streaming through the window. The design was simple, but elegant.

"Christian…I thought we agreed on no expensive gifts." Ana whines, but she was transfixed on the beauty of the earrings.

"These must have cost a fortune, I…I can't." Ana continues to murmur, handing the earrings back, the silver contrasting against the deep green of the velvet box.

"Ah, ah, ah…." Christian admonishes, setting the earrings aside and taking one out. He pulls Ana towards him, and with some reluctance, she allows him to lightly secure it behind her ears.

"You never allow me to get you gifts, as our contract says." Christian explains, shooting Ana a look that made her giggle.

"But it's Christmas, and I can get you a gift if I want to." Christian declares, now securing the second earing. If he had to choose a least favorite part of his new contract with Ana, this would be it. She never allowed him to buy her any gifts. For fuck's sake, she still has on leggings from Target.

Ana beams at him, her lips trying to contain the smile breaking across her face that made her dimple pop.

"Come here, precious girl." Christian says, opening his arms, and Ana cuddles into him.

Soon, Christian was greeted by her soft snore as he absentmindedly ran his hands through her long, silky hair.

 _What was this he's feeling?_ Christian knew that Ana was special from the beginning. He treated her differently from all of his previous submissive. He would fuck them and whip them, but Ana. Ana was too precious. Maybe it was because he loved the way her eyes would sparkle when she giggled, maybe it was because she would toss her hair back when she laughed, maybe it was because it broke his heart to see her cry.

But then again, could he give up BDSM, give up everything he has ever known? Could he be everything she needs? Hearts and flowers? Because this relationship was only temporary at best. Soon, she would find somebody who was worth her tears, worth her love.

It's Christmas eve, and the city of Seattle was tucked away in bed, waiting for old saint Nick.

Ana carefully lays a blanket over Ray who has fallen asleep on the couch, the soundtrack of _A Christmas Carol_ still faintly buzzing from the old TV.

After she made sure Ray was tucked in, Ana leans over and lightly kisses his forehead. "Goodnight, daddy." She whispers.

She lays out cookies and milk for Santa, a childhood habit, and gazes out at the sleeping city, wondering if a certain CEO was up.

 _He probably is. He never sleeps._ She muses to herself, running her hands along the scarf she had just finished knitting for him.

She checks the clock.

10:05.

 _I'm sure I have time to see him really quick. He's probably not home, but I can still stop by and check on him. Plus, I can go to the chapel afterwards to hear the midnight concert. I'll be back before sunrise for Ray, he's sound asleep anyways._ Ana continues to think to herself as she slips out into the wintry night.

In her mind, Christian was alone, and nobody deserved to be alone on Christmas.

Not even a certain CEO.

The cold air nips and bites at her nose as she scurries along the dark night, only stopping to shove a few dollars in a salvation army can.

Thankfully, Escala wasn't far away. Soon, the glass building was towering over her, the lone light shining from the 25th floor.

She waves to Paul, the security guard, and wishes him a merry Christmas before taking the elevator up. The code was her birthday.

Ana stands before the wooden door, hesitating. But she musters up whatever courage she has and knocks on the door.

Before she can even finish knocking three times, the door swings open and there Christian stands, dressed in grey sweats and a white tee. His hair is messy, copper pieces flying every direction, and there are heavy bags under his eyes.

"Ana…" He gasps, tugging her in.

"Oh my gosh, I thought you said you wanted to be with your dad. Is everything alright? Jesus, you don't even have on a proper coat, you must be freezing." He says, sounding like a dad. He takes her hands and starts blowing on them, his hot breath easing away their numbness.

Ana can't help but giggle. This is so unlike Christian, Mr. always-in-control. She's now fully in his house, and the fire place crackles.

"What are you doing here? Is your dad alright?" Christian continues to ask, concern clear in his voice. He hugs Ana closely, trying to keep her warm. Her body was freezing from the howling wind, and she began to thaw in his arms.

Olaf was right, _some people are worth melting for._

"I'm fine, Christian, great actually. I just wanted to stop by and say Merry Christmas." Ana says, sticking out her clumsily wrapped present.

Christian's eyes widen at the package. "For me?" he asks, and Ana nods.

"For you." She confirms.

Christian feels his mouth run dry. "Can I…can I open it?" he asks, sounding so hopeful that Ana's heart tugs.

"Of course you can, you silly." Ana teases.

Afraid to rip the paper that has santas all over it, Christian gently peels off the tape binding the present and carefully unravels it.

In it was a scarf, grey knit. The color faded from darker grey to lighter grey, then to dark once again. Each stich was well knit, and the soft wool felt warm against his hand. Christian knew it was hand knit by the way each stich was different, some loose and some tight. Christian knew that Ana knitted it. He had seen her working on it, but never fathomed it was for him. He always assumed it was for her dad or Jose or whoever. But him? Did he deserve this? After he made her cry with the belt?

Looking at the scarf, his mind takes him back to a cold, December night 20 years ago.

 _He was four year olds, he knew Santa didn't exist, his mom was lying on the ground, crying. He crawls towards her, too hungry and weak to even walk._

" _Baby boy…" his mom called, turning towards him, tears streaming out of her eyes. He crawled into her arms, and she hugged him. "I'm sorry, mommy's so sorry." He felt her tears on his scars._

 _She was mostly naked, shivering, but she reached for a piece of clothing lying on the floor, a scarf. She wrapped it around him. It reeked of alcohol and heroine, but it still made him feel warm._

" _Baby boy, mommy loves you so much. Good night, sweetheart." She tells him and drifts to sleep for the last time with him curled in her arms, the scarf still wrapped around his little neck._

Tears threaten to spill out of Christian's eyes as he smooths the scarf out. He looks up, and Ana's rocking back and forth on her heels, waiting for his reaction.

"I thought we agreed on no gifts." Christian finally chokes, forcing his tears back.

Ana gives him her best pouting face. "Well, it's Christmas, and I'm allowed to get you a gift if I want to." She says, throwing his exact words back at him.

Christian grins at how sassy Ana sounds, and before she can comprehend what's happening, he scoops her up and spins them both around, his grey eyes shining.

"You. Are. Fucking. Amazing. Don't. You. Ever. Change." He growls, nuzzling her hair, and Ana giggles. She loves this side of Christian, the spur of the moment cuddly Christian.

Finally, after forever, he sets her down, and she notices how empty his place is.

"Where's Taylor?" She asks, a frown playing by her lips when she realizes that Christian really was alone on Christmas

Christian shrugs, "I gave him a few days off so he could go home and see his daughter." He explains, walking towards his open kitchen and getting the ingredients for hot chocolate.

He pours the milk and coco mix together before walking back towards a speechless Ana. "Here, drink this, it'll warm you up." He says. Bossy Christian was back.

Ana didn't understand, didn't understand how this man who enjoys causing pain could have a heart of compassion.

"Where's your family?" she continues to ask. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't bear the thought of Christian being alone.

Christian gives another little shrug. "I dismissed them; I wanted them to enjoy Christmas."

"Without you?" Ana asks, sad, and Christian nods. "I didn't want to ruin Christmas, I'm enough of a Grinch on my own."

"I don't think you're a Grinch…" Ana mutters softly, her blue eyes becoming sad and down casted once again.

Christian scoffs. "Ana, you know I'm a monster better than anyone." He says.

Ana looks at Christian filled with so much so self-doubt, and she does something she never expected.

"Do you want to go to the chapel with me?" The question is out of her mouth before she can comprehend what she's saying.

Christian's head shoots up so fast that his neck jerks. "Chapel?" he sounds incredulous. He was hardly a religious man.

Ana nods, biting her lip. "Please, it won't take long. They have a midnight concert."

Christian gazes at Ana, _his_ Ana. And perhaps it was Christmas magic, but Christian found himself getting up and dressing in warm clothes.

Ana helps him tie his new scarf around him, and he beams at her before they both slip out into the cold, frosty air.

"oh my gosh, it's like negative degrees." Christian complains when they finally step foot in the chapel. Ana clasps her hands over his mouth, trying to keep him quiet, as they venture further into the chapel area. Every spot was taken.

Ana makes a shush sign with her hands as she drags Christian up a flight of stairs "I know a place." She whispers, her voice sending excitement through Christian.

The steps lead to a small room on the top of the building overlooking God's house. "Wow." Christian whispers.

In front of him, you can see the whole church, the light provided by the dim glow of the candles and the moon scattering through the stain glass windows.

Voices, high and low, mix together and fill the room. Christian recognizes the song _Ave Maria._

He sinks to the ground, bringing Ana with him, and they both sit on the floor. For a moment, everything's peaceful, a surreal calm surrounding them as they listen to the choir of angels.

Christian never got religion. He didn't believe in God. But being like this, Christian prayed to whatever God that was up there to help him protect Ana, to keep her safe.

As Christian continues to listen to the serene music, he felt a wet spot on his shirt. Looking over, he noticed that Ana has fallen asleep, and she was drooling.

Smiling, Christian gently wipes away the rest of her saliva with his sleeve. Gazing out at the choir singing below them once again, Christian makes a silent promise to himself and God. He will love, protect, and cherish Ana for as long as he was allowed to live. No more BDSM, rules, or punishments. He wanted Ana like this, smiling.

As the last song _Silent Night_ comes to an end, Christian lightly kisses Ana on the temple. _"Merry Christmas, sweetheart."_ He whispers before scooping her up and carrying her home.

 **A/n**

 **Tell me what you think, and if I should add more chapters. Hope everyone has a blessed, merry Christmas.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Once Upon a Christmas-Chapter 2**

Christian has Ana tucked snuggly in his arms, both his jacket and scarf were wrapped around her as he walks back to his Escala. She was fast asleep, still drooling on his shirt.

Christian smiles, his arms were getting sore from carrying her, but he didn't mind. Paul, the security guard, waves to him and helps him press the code for the elevator so Christian didn't have to wake Ana. Christian smiles back at him, making a mental note to give Paul a raise as the elevator whisks them up.

The elevator pings and Christian kicks the door open, turning sideways so he could carry Ana through, but instead of finding his penthouse empty the way he left it, his whole family was sitting on his living room floor.

"Mother." He gasps, still holding Ana who's staring to stir, but she falls back asleep, mumbling something in his shirt.

Grace came to Seattle with the full intention of reprimanding Christian. How dare he? She was sick of his excuses. She was sick of not being able to see her son on Christmas. Just because he was busy didn't mean he had the right to abandon his family. So she canceled the trip to Hawaii Christian booked them and flew the whole family back to Seattle. If he didn't want to come home for Christmas, then she was going to bring Christmas home.

But now looking at Christian, Grace understood why he wanted some time alone. In his arms was a girl; she was beautiful with her thick, brown hair. And looking at her, Grace couldn't help but smile.

For a minute, Christian just stares at his family in shock. _Didn't they want to spend Christmas without him?_

"I'll be right back." He mouths to them, turning around and bringing Ana to his room. He tucks her in, making sure she's ok and handing her his pillow to hug before heading back out.

He heads straight to his kitchen, boiling milk. "Do you guys all want hot chocolate?" he asks. Mia scurries to his side. "No, we don't want hot chocolate, we want to know who's your girl." She says, latching onto him.

Christian ignores his sister while he continues to make hot coco, one of his only culinary skills. Finally, after a beat of silence with Mia still clinging to him, he says. "Her name is Anastasia."

so for the next half an hour, Christian patiently answers every one of their question as he serves them hot chocolate, ignoring Elliot's wiggling eyebrows.

"Damn, bro. If I knew you wanted a good fuck for Christmas, I would've convinced mom to stay home. Lord knows, you probably needed one."

Elliot was only teasing, but his words angered Christian beyond what he could've imagined. Christian's eyes harden.

"Ana's not just a "good fuck" as you so elegantly put it. She's my girlfriend, and I swear to God, if you ever talk about her like that again…"

Christian doesn't get to finish his sentence when he hears a light pattering of footsteps. He turns around and is greeted by a sleepy Ana.

Her hair is frizzy and she's staring at him with wide, blue eyes. "Christian, what's going on?" She asks. She was embarrassed. Christian could tell by the way she was squirming.

Grace tries to make eye contact, but Ana quickly looks away, her cheeks bright red. _Who are these people anyways?_

"Ana, come here, sweetheart." Christian gently coaxes, and she hurries over so she's standing right next to him. He circles his arms around her, lightly pressing her into his lap.

"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Anastasia." Christian says, squeezing her waist. Ana felt her heart tug. _Was she really his girlfriend, or was he just saying that?_

Before Ana can even properly introduce herself, Grace embraces her. "You have no idea how happy I am to meet you." She says.

Ana giggles. "It's nice to meet you too; you must be Grace. Christian talks a lot about you." She says, and it's true. Christian always said that Grace was his saving angel.

Grace beams. "He did, didn't he?" she says, introducing Ana to the rest of the family, including a sheepish looking Elliot. They talk and laugh for a good hour.

"Ok, now that you guys have finished traumatizing my girlfriend, time for bed. Mom and Dad, you guys take the guest room. Mia, you take the room upstairs, and Elliot, you can take the couch. I'm taking Ana home." He says, reaching for his scarf and coat.

Ana blushes. "Christian, it's really ok. I can go home by myself. Stay with your family." She pleas. She didn't want to have a confrontation with Ray and Christian tonight.

Christian, however, completely disregards her as he buttons down his coat. "Absolutely not. It's late, it's dark, and the last thing I need is something happening to you. Plus, I want to meet your dad." He says, pulling Ana outside as Grace waves to them, giddy with excitement.

"Wait, you want to meet my dad? Christian, I…I don't think that's the best idea." Ana says, trying to keep up with his long strides in the snow.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Christian says, now curious, cocking his head to the side as he waits for her to catch up with him.

Ana struggles with her words as she thinks about how to explain this. "Ray…Ray can be very protective, and if he ever found out about…you know…I get that we can lie and say that I'm your girlfriend. But please, I don't want to lie to Ray, not tonight." She says.

Christian felt his heart drop. "But you are my girlfriend, Ana, I wasn't lying when I said that." He insists.

Ana stares at the snow-covered ground. "Maybe…but I'm also your submissive. What about the rules or punishments?" She asks, her voice barely audible. Punishments still terrified her.

Christian's voice becomes soft again as he gently takes Ana's hand and gives her knuckles a kiss. "Ana, sweetheart, there aren't going to be anymore rules or punishments." He says, wrapping his arms around her.

Ana's eyes widen. "What…do you mean? What about the playroom…or…or the belt...?" She stammers. _He didn't actually mean that, did he?_

Christian regards Ana with sad, gray eyes. _What has he done?_ It was clear that he scared Ana.

He tightens his hold on her as he leads them to a nearby park bench, brushing the snow off it. Ana sits between his legs so that she's straddling him.

Christian drops a slow, tender kiss to her forehead, his lips chap from the wind. "Ana, I don't want a dominant/submissive relationship with you. I want…no, I _need_ more with you." He says, bright, grey staring into her soul.

Ana fidgets in his lap. "Christian, I don't understand…what about your need for control…or our kinky fuckery?" she squeaks, a cute shade of blush creeping up her face and ears.

Christian sighs. "Ana, I suspect my need for control will always be there, especially where you're concerned, but I never want to punish you again. Do you remember what happened with the belt?" he asks, stoking her cold, rosy cheeks.

Ana nods, shuddering at the image of Christian holding the belt, but Christian continues. "you were crying so hard. I remember trying to comfort you, trying to get you to stop crying. I tried everything I could think of, holding you, rocking you, kissing you…But you were so hurt that nothing worked. And Ana, it broke my heart. It felt like a piece of me was physically being ripped away when I watched you cry. I remember thinking that you were finally going to leave." Christian says, forcing the lump that formed in his throat back down.

Tears threaten to spill out of Ana's eye. "I could never leave you, no matter what." She chokes, hugging him towards her. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that he still stopped when she safe worded, that it was ok, but she couldn't, not when they were this close.

Christian lightly kisses the side of her hair. "So no more punishments or rules from this point on. I love you, Anastasia Rose Steele, and that's that."

Ana beams, crashing her lips to his. "And I love you, Christian Trevelyan Grey."

When they finally break apart, Ana's giggling, and Christian lifts a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her. "What is it?" he asks.

Ana giggles some more. "Oh, I was just thinking, does this mean I get to roll my eyes at you?" she asks, her cute dimple breaking across her face.

Christian's lips twist up in wry amusement. "Yes. Yes, I suppose it does."

Ray was not happy, not at all. His baby girl, his _Annie_ , was dating Christian fucking Grey. So no, he was not happy.

Ana chews on her bottom lip as Christian squeezes her hand. Christian has already sensed that Ray wouldn't like him too much. I mean, you don't become a marine by being naïve. Christian was well aware of his shrewd business representation. In fact, he prized himself on it. Ray, however, only wanted the best for his baby girl. And a shrewd, multibillionaire, control-freak CEO definitely wasn't the guy he had in mind for his Annie. In his mind, Christian was taking advantage of her, taking advantage of her vulnerability and innocence. Ray knew, he knew that Annie was a hopeless romantic, and that she was probably just overwhelmed by all of his fake, romantic notions and sweet talk. But Christian was determined to win Ray over, for Ana.

"Mr. Steele, I apologize once again for bringing her home so late. As you know, Ana wanted to go to the midnight concert, and then we got stuck talking with my parents. My mother can talk for hours on end." Christian says, offering a small smile in the hopes of placating Ray.

Ray looks at Christian once more, scanning him from head to toe. The man looked decent enough in his long, trench coat, and Ray couldn't help but notice the grey scarf Christian was wearing. An identical one was hanging in his closet. Annie must have made it for him, and if she was willing to knit him a scarf, he must mean an awful lot to her.

Ray then looks at Ana. She was still snuggled in the crook of his arm, and Ray hated to admit it, but she looked like she belonged there, her small 5'6 frame protected by Christian's large 6'2 body.

Finally, Ray steps aside and lets them in. "Annie, how about you go get ready for bed while I have a chat with your boyfriend over here." He says, the word tasting bitter on his tongue.

Ana gives Christian a worried look, but he goes over and shushes her. "Sshhh, sweetheart, go to bed. Don't worry about me." He says, giving her a quick, good-night kiss and hug before turning back towards Ray.

"Have a seat son." Rays says, motioning to the couch. Christian gingerly sits down, afraid to make one wrong move.

"So you like my daughter?" Ray wastes no time beating around the bush. He wasn't a tall man, but he was built, Christian can see the veins traveling across his forearms and the ripple in his shoulders.

Christian raises his eyebrows.

"I love her, sir."

Ray nods, seemingly satisfied. "Good, because if I so much as find out that you hurt a hair on that girl, I will make it my personal vendetta to make your life miserable. And trust me son, I have my ways."

Christian didn't doubt him for a second and was sure that an ex-marine had plenty of ways to make him disappear.

Standing, Christian reaches out his hand. "I will never hurt your daughter, sir, you have my word." he says, giving Ray's hand a sturdy shake.

Ray was surprised by the firm handshake, and something told him that Christian wasn't a man to break his word. Christian then further surprised him by inviting him over for his mother's Christmas party.

Ana's biting her lip as she watches Ray and Christian talk during the Christmas party. Elliot joins them, and soon, all three guys are laughing.

Ana had hoped that Ray would like Christian, but when she cautiously brought up the subject with him, he merely grunted that it was fine.

Looking at the three men laughing and clinking cups, Ana didn't know if Ray was putting up a façade or if he genuinely liked Christian.

She was so happy, so happy that Christian wanted her to be his _more,_ but she wanted Ray to be happy too. Christian really was a great guy; Ana knew that better than anyone.

Ana felt a light tap on her shoulder, and Grace appeared before her. "Hey, sweetie, do you mind helping me with the dishes?" she asks, a motherly smile spread across her face.

"Yes, of course." Ana says rushed, feeling bad that she was so engrossed in her own thoughts. She quickly walks to the kitchen and was just about to pick up a dish when Grace stops her.

"Oh no, you don't need to worry about the dishes dear, I just needed an excuse to talk with you alone."

Ana couldn't hide her surprise as she hastily tucks her hair behind her ears. "Um…yeah, of course, go ahead. Everything alright?" she asks, clearly worried.

Grace laughs, her caramel eyes shining with love. "Oh darling girl, everything's great. I feel bad for asking this because I know I shouldn't doubt my own son, but is Christian treating you right, dear? He can be very…um… _harsh_." Grace says, remembering the countless fights Christian has gotten into as a teenage boy. Christian had his issues, and Grace was well aware that he tended to take those issues out on other people, even if he didn't mean it.

A tinge of pink stains Ana's cheek as she quickly comes to Christian's defense.

Grace smiles an apologetic smile. "Ok dear, I just wanted to make sure. Christian really does love you, I've never seen him look at anyone else the way he looks at you, so please be patient with him. I know he has his flaws, but he's good inside."

Ana gives Grace's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I know. I love him too."

Finally, after 5 hours, everyone leaves, and Ana and Christian both collapse on the couch, with her head on his chest. Ray didn't even throw a fuss about Ana staying the night. He was too busy making plans to go fishing with Christian.

Outside, a light layer of snow covered the city of Seattle, but inside, Ana and Christian were warm, wrapped in each other's embrace.

Listening to the crackling fire, Christian looks down at Ana. She was smiling up at him, her blue eyes sparkling among the orange flames, and Christian knew, in that moment, that he never wanted to spend his life with anyone else.

Because once upon a Christmas, a fucked-up boy fell in love with a girl.

 **A/N-there will be another chapter/epilogue after this. Hope you guys enjoyed it ;) Let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once Upon a Christmas-Chapter 3/epilogue**

 _8 years later_

It's midnight, Christmas eve, and the voices of angels echo off of the church's stain glass walls. Christian smiles at Ana who lightly reaches out and squeezes his hand. It has become their tradition to come and listen to the midnight concert every Christmas eve.

Ana's rocking a sound-a-sleep, 9-month-old Teddy in her arm as she leans on her husband's shoulder. Christian bends down and softly kisses her forehead before pressing a light kiss to Teddy as well, his eyes shining with pure adoration. In the background, _Silent Night_ is quietly playing.

"Daddy?" Phoebe begins to stir in his arms. She just turned 5.

"Yes, sweet pea?"

"When are we going to go home? I'm tired." She complains, rubbing her groggy eyes.

Christian gives her an apologetic smile as he lifts her onto his lap. "I'm sorry monkey, the concert isn't over for another 30 minutes."

Christian internally berates himself for not having Phoebe take a longer nap. He originally tried to have her sleep for 3 hours before the concert, but she somehow managed to persuade him into reading her 10 stories books instead with her big, puppy dog eyes. Christian falls for them every time.

Phoebe cuddles against him. She's usually a Daddy's girl and prefers his lap, plus Ana has Teddy. Christian holds her against him.

"Daddy, why do we always come here?" she asks, only five minutes after being in Christian's lap. She's not one that likes to sit still.

Christian bounces her up and down on his knee, keeping a firm yet gentle hold on her. "Well monkey, this is a really important place for Mommy and Daddy. We got married here." Christian explains, leaving out the part about how he first discovered he loved Ana in this very chapel as well. She was too young to understand that.

Phoebe nods, seemingly serious. "Will I get married here one day also?" she asks, mirroring Christian shushed voice as to not disturb anyone else.

Christian takes in a deep breath. _Was he really having this conversation already? He never wanted to think about Phoebe marrying, ever._

He sighs, smoothing his hand over Phoebe's long, copper hair. "Well, sweet pea, I don't know the answer to that. But you must promise me one thing, ok?"

"Ok." Phoebe nods, turning around in his lap and staring at him with wide, blue eyes.

Christian cups his hand to his mouth and whispers in her ear. "If you do marry one day, I want you to promise me that you will make sure you love the person very, very much, and that they love you very, very much, ok?"

Phoebe beams at him. "Like you and mommy?" she asks.

Christian smiles, nuzzling his nose against hers. "Yes, like me and mommy."

As he continues to listen to the concert with Phoebe finally falling asleep on him, Christian thinks about that night with Ana, and how happy the last 8 years have been.

They got married 7 years ago, right on this altar. Christian stills remember trying to hold back tears as he watched Ana walk down the aisle, her right arm wrapped around her father's. Christian remembers promising Ray that he will take care of Ana forever. Christian remembers lifting Ana up and spinning her around as people clapped and cheered. Christian remembers the priest needing to cough and interrupt them because he kissed Ana so hard…

A year after that, Ana got pregnant with Phoebe, Christian's pride and joy. The little girl had the whole family wrapped tightly around her finger without even knowing it, including Taylor. At first, Christian was afraid that he wasn't cut to be a father, but now looking at Phoebe who was fast asleep on his chest, Christian knew he did ok, just like Ana said he would.

And now, they had Teddy, their newest member. Christian could hardly wait for Teddy to grow up. He'll get to teach him how to ride a bike, drive a car, fly a plane…

Ana's starting to doze off on his shoulder, and she lazily smiles up at him. "Pennies for your thought, Mr. Grey?" she whispers.

Christian smiles down at her, the well-worn creases of his grey eyes showing. "I was just thinking about how I am the luckiest bastard alive."

Ana snuggles closer to him, and Christian sees the ghost of a smirk playing by her lips.

Half an hour later, the concert slowly rolls to an end, and Ana helps Christian dress the kids. Teddy's wrapped up in a blue blanket that Ana knitted, and Phoebe has a pink scarf. Ana carries Teddy as Christian gently scoops Phoebe's sleeping form in his arms.

The walk back home wasn't long. Christian's rocking and patting Phoebe although she's getting a little too old for that.

Ana giggles. "Do you remember carrying me home?" She asks, blue eyes dancing with mischief.

Christian's lips twitch up as he raises an eyebrow at her "Yes, and I also remember that you were quite heavy."

"Bastard." Was all Ana said as she swats his butt, making Christian laugh.

Of course, Christian wasn't serious when he said that Ana was heavy. He often fussed with her and Phoebe about food. To him, both of them were too skinny even though Ana had explained countless times that some people just have skinner body types. Christian, however, believed that it was his fault for not feeding them enough.

They shake off the snow from their coats as they finally step into the warm confines of their home.

Christian carefully takes Teddy from Ana's arms after tucking Phoebe in. "Here, I'll change him, you go start the fire." He says, and Ana happily agrees, knowing that it was gas.

She just finished turning on the fire and steaming two mugs of hot chocolate when Christian walks back out, making a face.

Ana laughs. Her son must have out did himself (with the diaper).

 _(The next morning)_

"Daddy! Daddy! Santa came!" Christian groans in pain as Phoebe jumps on him.

 _How do little knees always find that spot?_

He blinks open a sleepy eye. "What time is it?" he grumbles.

Phoebe holds up 5fingers, still bouncing up and down on him, trying to wake Ana as well.

"Mommy! Mommy! Wake up! Santa came!" Phoebe shouts.

Ana groans also. "Phoebe, sweet heart, it's only 5 in the morning, how about you go back to sleep?" Ana asks, hoping that her daughter would agree even though she knew it wasn't going to happen.

Phoebe's now openly jumping on Ana. "But mommy! I want to open my presents now." She whines.

"Phoebe, stop jumping on your mom. Now." Christian scolds, snapping his fingers, his voice harsher than he intended.

Phoebe immediately stops, her bottom lip starting to quiver at Christian's stern voice. "I'm sorry…" she whimpers, her bottom lip still trembling.

Christian doesn't wait for her eyes to start to water as he pulls her against him. "Shhh, sweet pea, don't cry. Daddy's sorry for yelling. How about this? You can stay with me until it's time to open presents, yeah?"

Phoebe nods, still trying not to snivel as Christian lifts the blanket and invites her in. Ana turns around and kisses Phoebe's head as well.

"Shhh, sweet heart, I promise we'll open presents as soon as morning comes." Ana says, but Phoebe's already half-way in la la land, snuggled up against Christian.

Ana shakes her head to herself. She used to always be jealous of Christian and Phoebe's relationship, Phoebe took to Christian more than anyone else. It wasn't until later that Ana realized how beautiful their special bond was.

Laying there, Ana wondered what it was going to be like when Phoebe started dating. Surely, Christian will rip out all of his hair and put Ray's threat to shame.

Ana smirks to herself when she thinks about Christian and Ray. The two guys had grown to accept and love each other, despite some reluctance on Ray's side.

Soon, the sun is peeping through the curtains, and Christian stretches out his cramp body, careful not to wake Phoebe who's still asleep, last night's exhaustion finally catching up with her.

Christian reaches out and gives Ana a quick kiss. She moans a protest.

"Eww, Christian, my morning breath." She complains, although she kisses him back.

Christian chuckles. "Aww, baby, I don't care."

Christian gently shakes Phoebe awake. "Phoebe, baby, it's Christmas." He coaxes as Phoebe's grey eyes fly open.

"It's morning already!" she exclaims, leaping out of bed and almost tumbling down the stairs as she rushes towards the tree.

Christian follows her with a slight shake of the head, and Ana goes to get Teddy. Christian sits there, a satisfied smile on his face as he watches Phoebe tear through the biggest present.

"Oh my gosh, Santa got me a doll house." She squeals. In front of her is a purple and pink, life sized doll house. It comes with its own kitchen, living room, and bedroom.

Ana comes back in with Teddy, and they finish opening the rest of their presents. Phoebe got a doll house, princess pajamas, Barbie doll Elsa, and coloring books.

Phoebe's still playing doll with Christian and Ana when the doorbell rings.

"Grandma, Grandpa." Phoebe cheers, running to get the door.

As soon as the door swings open, she's in Carrick's arms who's tickling her. She laughs and laughs until there are tears in her eyes, but Carrick doesn't let up. Well, until Grace smacks him,

Phoebe's then passed around to all the family members, everybody hugging her and squeezing her as they enter Escala. Christian pretends to ignore the bag of chocolate he saw Elliot slip into her coat pocket, both of them making shush signs with their fingers to keep it a secret from Christian, aka, the candy police.

Phoebe's eyes light up when she sees the last person. "Ray!" she screams, and the strong man tosses her in the air, making Christian's heart catch.

But just like every time Ray tosses her up, every time Ray catches her.

"Dad, that's quite enough." Ana smiles, walking up towards Ray and kissing him on the cheek. She swears, if Ray threw Phoebe in the air one more time, Christian was going to have a heart attack.

Ray chuckles, setting Phoebe down, and embraces Ana before slapping Chris (his nickname for Christian) on the back.

Christian greets everyone, already getting the coco and chocolate out, as he shoots Grace a disapproving glance.

"Mother, what did I say about spoiling Phoebe?" he asks her as she helps him make hot chocolate.

But the only answer to his question was a smack in the arm. "Oh don't be ridiculous, what are grandmas for?"

After all the hot cholate was served, everyone gathers around the fire place. Phoebe is sandwiched between Christian and Ana, and Christian is bouncing a now wide-a-wake Teddy on his lap, refusing to let Elliot hold him.

The night was spent, just like the past 8 Christmases, with lots of laughter and love.

 **The End.**


End file.
